


Wolves

by LocalShinigami



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Hinterlands, Hints at ending spoilers involving Solas, M/M, Solas has some feels, Token of the Pack Master, Wolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 13:45:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5208104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LocalShinigami/pseuds/LocalShinigami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While out fighting in the Hinterlands, Solas sees his young Inquisitor go down. Before he can come to the young elf's aid, some surprising allies show up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wolves

**Author's Note:**

> I was super excited once I figured out the wearing the Token of the Pack Master makes wolves your friends. I hate how the wildlife randomly decides to attack your group. 
> 
> Then I had a weird thought concerning Solas. How would the Dread Wolf handle wolves being friendly with the Inquisitor. Next thing I knew, this came out. I very much enjoyed how this turned out.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy it too!

Solas walked out of his tent, taking a deep breath of the fresh air in the Hinterlands. The air had a slight chill, but it was nothing like Skyhold, which was cold enough that it froze the throat if a breath was to deep. 

As he walked towards the low burning fire, he heard laughter coming from the trees that were near the camp. Hand on staff, Solas walked towards the sound, listening to the noise. It sounded young and male. Creeping forward, he could hear words being spoken, but could not make anything out. 

Solas was so focused on the noise that he had not seen the large twig that was in front of him. Stepping on it, it made a loud cracking noise. The forest went silent. Solas stopped, slowing his breath, hoping to hear the noise again. He was not rewarded with another laugh or the words, but he did notice that there were footsteps now moving towards him. Whatever was coming was not trying to hide itself.

A few moments later, out step The Inquisitor. The young elf, Orion, stood before him, large mismatched green and gold eyes looking bashfully down, hands playing with his long braid of brown, red, and gold color hair. Solas took a moment to wonder, like the rest of the inner circle, at all of the colors that Orion was made of, it was as if whatever god had decided to create the young elf could not decided what color it wanted to use. Solas then noticed that youngster did not have either of his daggers on his hips.

"Inquisitor, what are you doing out here and unarmed?" Solas asked giving the young elf a disapproving look.

"I... I was just... ah... walking the perimeter, Hahren" Orion stammered out. It did not take a Ben-Hassrath spy to realize that the young man was lying, but Solas thought it would be better to let the lie stand. He knew The Inquisitor would not purposely endanger anyone. It did not mean though that Solas was not going to give a lecture.

"Walking the perimeter without your weapons, Da'len? That's dangerous. There are still bandits out there and other wildlife that could threaten you." Orion bowed his head a bit, hands going to his hips, where his daggers normally lay. 

"I'm sorry, Hahren. It won't happen again."

"Good. Now let us head back before the others know you have been wandering around without protection. Dorian does seem to love to lecturing you about your recklessness," Solas said, as if he himself did not lecture Orion about the same thing. Sometimes being the Inquisitor and the youngest was tough.

Orion quietly followed Solas, fingers touching the crescent-moon shaped pendant that wrapped around his neck.

*****

After sealing two rifts, the group managed to keep running into bandits and bears for hours. It seemed that the Southern Hinterlands was a breeding ground for the two.  
Dorian, Bull, Solas and Orion was now fighting their sixth group of bandits that they had found. The bandits had fortified an area and the group was having trouble getting around their defensives.

The Iron Bull had done what the Qunari was best at and had charged the frontline, grabbing everyone's attention. Two brutes trying their hardest to take the warrior out. Solas and Dorian were alternating keeping a barrier up around the Qunari.

As they were protecting the Qunari. Solas and Dorian were raining down lightning bolts and fireballs, in between lyrium potions. They tried to shrink the group down, picking off the weaker ones, weakening the tougher ones so The Iron Bull or The Inquisitor could finish them off.

The Inquisitor had been darting in and out of fights, using his daggers to tear out throats or cripple opponents until they could be dealt with. Occasional when a warrior or an assassin got him, he would use his magic to send a bolt of lightning through his daggers, conducting the current into the enemy, killing them. 

Solas was still amazed that young boy had learn to yield weapons and cast magic. Orion had told him the secret was the crystals that sat within the daggers. They helped act as a foci. The downfall to the ability was how limited it was. He could not cast fireballs or blizzards without stopping, but he could conduct electricity through the daggers or set his weapons aflame. 

Solas was in the middle of recasting a barrier spell on The Iron Bull, when he noticed the bear coming around a large rock. The bear roared and charged at The Inquisitor. The rouge was able to dodge the charge, barely miss being hit with claws. The bear rammed into an assassin that had been sneaking up behind The Inquisitor. The bear bit into the assassin's arm, claws grabbing and rending the unfortunate human.

Orion stared at the ferocity of the creature. Never had anyone of them seen a bear act like that. The creature dropped the carcass, turning to see The Inquisitor kneeling in the dirt. 

Letting out another roar it charged again, but before it could get to far, fire consumed its face, thanks to Dorian. Rearing back, swiping at the fire, Orion took the moment diversion to hit the creature with his daggers, sending a burst of electricity into the bears stomach. Quickly ripping his daggers out, Orion turned and spun out of the way. 

The bear dropped back down to all fours, howling in pain. It turned following Orion, lounging and snapping. The Inquisitor kept dodging back when a paw came up and swiped, but then would follow the paws return to the ground, so he could strike at the bear's neck and muzzle. He then would quickly retreat back before teeth or claws could get him. 

Dorian and Solas tried to help the Inquisitor as best they could, but Bull needed their help as well. More bandits had appeared and were trying to get past the Qunari. The mages had to leave the warrior open a couple of times, so they could throw a barrier over The Inquisitor. A few of the bandits had also managed to get past the Qunari and were running towards the mages, thinking they could not handle close combat. 

Dorian stepped forward, swing his staff blade up, catching the first bandit across her belly before she got to close. The Tevinter mage quickly twisted the blade out of the bandit and brought his staff up to block the next sword that was aimed for his head. While Dorian caught the bandit's weapon high, Solas slipped next to him and slammed his own staff blade into the exposed chest, puncturing heart and lungs. 

Yanking the blade out, Solas spun around Dorian, casting a lightning chain at the group that surrounded Bull, causing several of the bandits to drop.

Solas turned to see The Inquisitor as he reached for another potion, only to stop in his tracks. The young elf lay on the ground, his back to the mages. Another brute had joined the fray and was currently finishing off the bear that had attacked. The brute turned, his large axe coming back up, covered in blood from the bear.

Solas let out a yell, starting to move towards the his young Da'len. He was not going to lose this young elf. Orion had managed to bring him some joy, with his constant questions and eagerness to learn. Solas could not stand to lose another, not after... A howl filled the air. Solas's skinned crawled as fear filled his belly. He thought for a moment that he had done something, but then he saw the brute turn his head. Solas's eyes followed.

Running down the cliff was a large black wolf. Several others were at the top starting to make their way down. There was one though that had its head back howling, the echo filling the valley. Solas could hear other howls joining the call.

The large black wolf leaped off the cliff, slamming into the brute knocking him off balance. The wolf snapped at the brute's face, fangs trying to reach the vulnerable spots that instincts knew to be close. The brute swung his arms up, punching the wolf in the ribs. The wolf jumped off and the brute started to rise only to tackled by more wolves. There were too many teeth and the weight of all of the wolves pinned the brute. The brute started to yell but was quickly silenced.

The first wolf that had appeared had backed up and was now standing over their fallen leader. The rest of the pack quickly joined Bull, helping him finish off the bandits. The packs numbers kept increasing. They chased down the bandits , biting into their legs causing them to trip, before their teeth found their throats.

Bull continued with chopping down enemies as Dorian continued to back him up. With the help of the wolves, they were able to make short work of bandits.  
Solas quickly moved towards Orion and the large wolf that guarded him.

When he got close, wolf moved towards him, teeth bared in a snarl, a growl emanating from its chest. Solas slowly put raised his hands, his staff in a loose grip. The wolf took another step towards him and started to sniff the air. Its hackles slowly lowered as the growl stopped. They stared at each other for a moment. Solas was about to use magic, consequences be damned, to convince the wolf that he was not a threat when the wolf lowered its head, then moved to sit next to young elf. 

Continuing to move slowly, Solas kneeled down and started to look for a pulse. He quickly found one. It was slow, but still strong. Gently moving the unconscious elf, Solas saw that he had been hit in the head and claw marks ran from his left shoulder to the lower part of his chest. Summoning up his connection to the fade, Solas started to heal the wounds. In the middle of treating Orion's head wound, the wolf started to growl. 

Solas turned his head and saw Dorian and The Iron Bull approaching. The rest of the pack was dispersed behind them, looking around for more danger.

"Is the Boss alright?" Bull asked between the deep breathes that he was taking.

"I believe so," Solas answered."His head was hit hard and he will probably have to scars from the claw marks though." Bull gave a nod.

"Is there anything I can do?"Dorian moved forward as he asked, not caring about the wolf that growled louder.

"No, I can handle this. Just leave me a lyrium potion or two. You two should head back to camp and get help. The Inquisitor needs to get to a safer spot."

"Is it safe to leave you here alone?" Bull asked as he eyed the wolves. They were still circling about, some looking for danger, others watching the elf, Qunari and human closely. 

"I believe we will be safe. They hardly seem interested in hurting us. I also believe this to be the pack that we saved from the demon," Solas added as he looked at the wolf that sat across from him. This looked like the alpha of that pack. It was bigger than then others and he was sure he had not seen any other black wolves in the area.

"Are you positive Solas? I'm not thrilled with the idea of you and our dear Inquisitor being left alone like this." Dorian voiced his concern. Solas looked at the healing that he was performing, then looked at the mage that was placing the potions next to him.

"I am positive. We are in no danger with the pack protecting us." Bull nodded once again and placed a hand on Dorian's shoulder, silencing him before he could start arguing with the elven mage.

"Come on Kadan, Let's go get help. Solas knows what he is doing." Dorian still opened his mouth to protest, but Bull tightened his grip and started to lead the mage in the direction of the closest camp. Keeping his grip tight, the warrior started to trot, forcing the human to run or he was going to fall. They were around the cliff and off quickly.

Solas focused on his healing spells, feeling his mana draining rapidly. A few minutes into the healing he had to stop to drink a potion. His attention returned to the wounds. The chest wound had healed easily, but the head wound was problematic. He was not too sure if there was not any more complications. Head wounds always were the worst.

Once Solas had been able to take care of everything that he could, he sat back taking a deep breath. His attention moved to the wolf. He, Solas noted, had not moved since Solas started the healing spells and now that the older elf was no longer close, the wolf laid itself close to Orion. 

Remembering that the wolf had been hit, Solas leaned closer to see if the wolf had been injured. The wolf growled at him, but stopped once Solas placed his hand up for the wolf to smell him. After a few sniffs and a lick, the wolf seemed to trust the elven mage. Slowly Solas put his hands on the wolf's side and put what little healing magic he had left to fixing the three broken ribs that he could feel. The wolf's breathe seemed to come more easier as the healing progressed.

Once Solas was done, he leaned back again, studying the wolf that was in front of him as well as the pack that surround them.

"Thank you for your help, friend," Solas said to the wolf as he turned his attention back.. The alpha looked at him, his ears folding down for a moment. He seemed to almost nod his head at Solas. 

As time passed, the pack start to disperse a bit, traveling further away. Four of the larger pack members stayed close, one even come close enough to rub its nose against Solas.  
The older elf suspected that this one was young and curious. None of the pack tried to touch Orion though. The alpha would growl and nip at any that tried. Solas seemed to be the only exception, being allowed to check the young elf to make sure his pulse and breathing stayed even.

Soon Solas heard footsteps coming. Grabbing his staff, he took a protective stance. He was not completely sure these were Inquisition soldiers. The wolves circled around him, the alpha once again standing over The Inquisitor.

Horns slowly came around the corner until The Iron Bull's face was visible. Solas relaxed along with the wolves. As the Bull and Dorian approached with several other soldiers, the pack backed off, giving the humans room. The alpha was the only one who did not move. The soldiers looked back and forth between the alpha and Solas. Solas looked at the alpha. The alpha stared back, green eyes unwavering.

"It is alright friend. These people will not harm him. They are going to bring him back to our den," Solas explained to the wolf. Green eyes never leaving Solas's face, the wolf took a few steps back. As Solas moved closer to the young elf, he noticed the soldiers, Dorian and Bull look at each other, quite curious that the wolf listened to him. Ignoring the curiosity, he motioned for the soldiers to follow him. 

They moved a litter over to The Inquisitor, lifting him on to it. Gently lifting the litter up, they started back towards the camp. The alpha started walking with the group. He never strayed far from Orion. Solas, Bull and Dorian exchanged looks.

"Well this is weird," Bull stated.

"Very. I am surprised to see a wild animal like that staying so close. Why is it even acting like this? It's almost as if Orion has managed to befriend the creature," Dorian added, giving Solas himself a once over. Continuing to ignore Dorian's curiosity, Solas remembered the laughing he had heard that morning. 

"I think he has," Solas said. Bull and Dorian eyed him.

"Why do you say that?" Bull questioned.

"Because he was out this morning doing something that he hadn't want the rest of us to see. I suspect that he was keeping the wolves out of the camp. Clearly the wolves remember his help saving the pack from the demon."

"Handy. Wonder how long he has known that?" Dorian eyed their prone leader as they walked.

"Probably for awhile knowing him," Bull said." Probably found away to convince them not to intervene, considering how much he hates killing the animals around here. It probably would just kill him if some of them die defending us." 

"True. He does seem to be rather fond of the creatures. Isn't that odd for a Dalish? Don't they dislike wolves because of some trickster?" Dorian asked Solas, staring hard at the elf. Solas stared at the man for moment.

"Fen'Harel. The Dalish are weary of wolves for that reason. They don't go after wolves though, thinking that would attract the god's attention and bring bad luck to the clan." Solas answered." Our Inquisitor doesn't seem to be bothered by these legends though. The several times we have talked about The Dread Wolf, he expressed the opinion that there is probably more to the story. It seems the events with Corypheus have opened the door to possibilities."

Bull and Dorian both nodded, having experienced similar conversations with Orion. The young elf's perspective had quickly broaden when the Corypheus had shown up and started claiming things no one thought possible.

"He is going to have to explain all of this," Solas gestured towards the alpha that was still walking close to Orion," when he awakes. I would like to know how he has managed to befriend these wolves."

"That would be nice to know." Dorian commented. Bull once again nodded his head in agreement.

Their trek back camp was quiet and uneventful, the group grateful for the break. Once they reached the camp, the healers went to go move towards The Inquisitor, only to stop at the sight of the large wolf that stood next to him. Solas moved forward, telling the healers not to mind the wolf.

The healers move cautiously, as they started to check Orion's wounds and making sure he was comfortable. Solas had managed to take care of the worse parts, leaving the healers to double check his work and mending the smaller wounds that Solas had not been able to handle.

Once The Inquisitor had been looked over, he was left on a cot in a tent, the alpha curling next to him.

Solas had decided to stay in the tent with the wolf, to help make sure that nothing happened to either the alpha or the people in the camp. He heard the stories that were already spreading throughout about The Inquisitor and his wolf. The soldiers' awe of The Inquisitor was increasing again. Another unimaginable feat. The night passed, Bull and Dorian telling the tale, Orion sleeping peacefully with a wolf at his side. Solas gave a small smile at the image.

*****

Solas awoke to a whine. Opening his eyes, he saw Orion attempting to sit up, the alpha climbing onto the cot, attempting to stop him, if Solas had to guess. The wolf looked like it was trying to crush the young elf, he was quite large compared to little elf.

The older elf stood up, grabbing the attention of both the wolf and the elf.

"Good morning, Inquisitor. How are you feeling?" Solas asked as he walked over. Without thinking about it, he put his hand on the wolf's neck , petting the thick, dark fur. Orion stared at his hand. The alpha got off the cot, eyes never leaving the young elf's face.

"Ahh... Fine, I guess." Orion stammered an answer. "My head slightly hurts as if I have a headache, but I think everything else is fine." The young elf touched his head gently." Why is Skoll in camp though? What happened?" Solas raised an eyebrow at the name. That was an old name, a name for one of the wolves that followed Fen'Harel. Interesting that the young elf knew that one, Solas thought. He was definitely going to have to have more talks with the young elf at a later date.

"Skoll," Solas paused for a moment, eyeing the alpha that sat next to him, "and his pack saved you. You had fallen and a brute was about to kill you, when they attacked. The pack was a great help at stopping the rest of the bandits." Orion stared at the wolf.

"After the bandits were killed, Skoll refused to leave your side. He has protected you this entire time." Solas finished. Orion lifted a hand and placed it on the wolf's head. 

Quietly he whispered a thanks, the alpha, Skoll, Solas reminded himself, nudged the hand. A small smile appeared on Orion's face. He gave the wolf a rough scratch behind the ears. Skoll gave a low growl as he closed his eyes and leaned closer. Another smile appeared on Solas's face again.

"Is it safe to assume that you, Dorian and Bull are curious about Skoll?" Orion asked bashfully.

"That is a safe assumption," Solas answered.

"It's the amulet," Orion replied, touching the pendant that showed a wolf howling. "Skoll dropped it after we freed the pack from the demon. I think that amulet lets wolves know that we're friendly. The wolves in Crestwood have also acted similarly once they saw me."

Solas leaned down to get a closer look at the amulet. He had sensed magic coming from it before, but had never felt that particular spell. After studying it for a moment, he could feel a trace of a blessing. Maybe if he was in a different form, it would have felt stronger and he would have noticed it sooner.

"I believe your theory is correct. It does seem to have some sort of blessing on it, granting friendship with wolves. I don't believe though that the amulet explains Skoll's and the pack's actions. The amulet would only stop them from hurting you and maybe they would help, but this fierce protection, "Solas motioned at the wolf next to them, "speaks of a higher feeling. Clearly they think of you as pack."

Orion sucked in a deep breath. He nibbled on his bottom lip as he thought the information over. Solas watched with curiosity. 

"Does this trouble you, Da'len?" Solas asked. Orion looked at him, his gold and green eyes wide.

"No Hahren. I just hadn't thought about it like that. I thought it was the amulet the whole time." Taking a deep breath, Orion looked down at his hands, as he twisted them in his lap. "I also think it is a good thing I am not with the clan anymore. They wouldn't have understood this." 

With each old elven temple found, with each artifact and story, Orion had started to understand how little the Dalish clans had understood. Solas had found out that Orion had been an outsider in his clan already, even though he had never found out why, and as his knowledge increased, the more of an outsider he was becoming. Most of the knowledge that he had found, including this friendship with the wolves, would have be something that the clan would not have accepted. They were too concerned with preserving false knowledge to see the knowledge that one of their own was uncovering.

Solas reached out to touch the young elf's shoulder, knowing the sadness that Orion carried concerning his clan. Orion looked up and gave him a sad little smile.

"Is your head still bothering you, Da'len?" Solas's hand moved up to check The Inquisitor's head, healing magic pouring from his hand. Orion let out a deep sigh, as Solas found the tender part of his head.

"It's getting better. My shoulder aches a bit now too though."

"That would be from where the bear clawed you. You will have some scaring, it was deep enough, but nothing should cause you any permanent trouble." Solas other hand reached up to Orion's scared shoulder, sending some healing magic to the area to help with the aches. After a few minutes, Orion started to move his shoulders and neck, testing the muscles.

"Thank you Hahren. I am feeling much better." Orion moved to get off the cot.

"I don't think that would be wise, Da'len. You should rest a bit longer," Solas said as he gently tried to push the young elf back down.

"I will in a bit. I need to go check on everyone and let Skoll get back to his pack. He shouldn't be way from them for too long." Solas stopped his pushing, allowing the young elf to get up. Orion had a point about letting Skoll get back to his pack. The alpha should never be away for long.

"Alright, but we will do a quick check on everyone and then let Skoll leave. You really should rest some more."

Orion gave Solas another smile as he got up. Skoll moved to his side as he walked out of the tent. Solas stayed a few steps behind him, letting the young elf assume his role as Inquisitor. 

Solas watched how the soldiers reacted to seeing their leader walking around with a wild wolf at his side. Their awe was almost palatable. Dorian's and Bull's reaction were no less awe struck. The mage and warrior were quick to hide their awe though, knowing the young rouge preferred it when they did not act so reverent. 

Once Dorian got close enough to The Inquisitor, he was quick to grab and drag the young elf to a nearby tent, where Solas and Bull could hear the mage quietly giving a lecture on safety and staying close to the group. There was also a demand to know more about the wolves later. Bull just grinned at Solas as they heard their leader quietly give the Tevinter mage his word that he would explain everything.

Leaving the tent, Orion continued his check until they reached the edge of the camp. Looking the large wolf in the eyes, Orion gave Skoll a few pats on his head. Solas could see that Orion was talking to the wolf, but could not make out what was being said. The young elf reached down and gave the wolf a hug, burrowing his head in Skoll's fur. Letting the wolf go, Skoll gave the young elf a lick on the face and then started to trot off towards the pack's den. Orion watched the wolf leave. Solas walked over, only stopping until he was next to young elf.

"Such amazing creatures," Orion said as he watched Skoll start to run. The wolf swiftly moved behind the large hill, disappearing from sight. "Maybe once this is all over, I will write Corypheus a thank you letter." Solas turned and gave The Inquisitor a surprised look.

"Why would you do such a thing?" Solas questioned, shock evident in his voice.

"Well because of him, I have gotten to experience many things. I have been trying to find the silver lining to this whole mess. It helps me remember that even at the darkest times, there is a light that can stop the darkness from being all-consuming."

Solas marveled at the little piece of wisdom that had come out of young elf next to him. Hearing those words, alleviated a tiny piece of Solas's guilt.

"That is quite wise of you Da'len. Many would not think to thank their tormentor for such things." Orion gave Solas a grin, pleased at getting praise from Solas. The young elf still needed to have a teacher's praise.

The Inquisitor bumped Solas's shoulder in a friendly gesture before turning and walking back to camp. 

Solas watched Orion leave, a hoping filling him that he would not lose his young Da'len completely, once he found out the truth.

**Author's Note:**

> For those that don't know Norse mythology all that well, Skoll (pronounce like Skull) is the one that "hunts" the moon. He is one of the children on Fenrir. I thought it appropriate to use the Old Norse lore, considering how much Norse and Celtic Mythology has graced the Dalish myths.


End file.
